my real and reel universe

Gorgeous Goblin Gong Yoo

If I were as active in drama blogging as before I would have picked this drama to write recaps no matter how many episodes there might be. Goblin aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God is enjoying great ratings on cable TV. It stars Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, Kim Go Eun, Yoo In Na and Yook Sung Jae. Everyone who love to watch Korean dramas are totally aware of this series and after reading this post I will not be surprised if you will hunt for the English-subbed episodes.

When it was being marketed, the first thing I noticed was the word Goblin. It was how press articles described Gong Yoo’s new character. Everyone was so excited especially after the major success of Train To Busan. I cannot however imagine how as gorgeous as Gong Yoo is to be a hideous character. The most famous little goblin we all know is Gollum in the Lord of The Rings so forgive me if I were not that excited.

Good thing when the still pictures and the teasers were out I never saw anything remotely similar to Gollum. Gong Yoo was captivating as ever, whether he is dressed up like a warrior in his past life or a rich conglomerate executive in his current life. However, no matter how impressive his looks are I will not watch his drama unless it has a compelling story. If you are not into Korean dramas yet you might want to start with this one. It will not disappoint.

Imagine a 900-yr old immortal referred to as the Goblin trying to find his bride to end his immortality. Apparently, this guy has a sword embedded to his chest and only the destined one can pull it out to give him a peaceful death. This 2016 he finally met his bride, a 19-yr old high school senior who can see ghosts. He wanted to die and so he was at first delighted by his discovery until he realizes he is in love with the girl.

What makes this story even engaging is that the Goblin has an intriguing backstory. Before he was granted a gift of immortality, he was then a General. His only sister was married to the King. The problem was that the King’s right hand was the one who was in control of the Kingdom having raised him since he was a little boy. This right hand man saw that the General can be dangerous to his ambitious plans since he is the Queen’s brother. He then created distrust and contrived jealousy between the King and the Queen. The King then ordered the General to go and protect his Kingdom from outside forces and then to never return back to the palace again. Short of telling him to commit suicide. Anyway, after battling it out with invaders successfully he did not heed the King’s order. He went back to the palace but before he was able to reach the King, the Queen was shot by an arrow and he was struck by a sword as ordered by the King. Spoiler alert! Please do not read beyond this line if you do not want to know more about it.

If you are not yet enticed by that then how about knowing that all of these characters have reincarnated. All of them are living in the present year. The King is now a Grim Reaper and is living in the Goblin’s house. They do not know each other’s past so they became the best of the friends. The Queen is a chicken restaurant owner and the Goblin’s bride is working as a part-timer there. By the way, the Goblin saved his bride when she was still in her mother’s womb. Apparently, if you are near death and made a wish, a Goblin can grant it.

I can share more but I would be happier if you can watch and discover its magnificence. It’s not only the story that is riveting but also the musical scoring and the cinematography. The director is really awesome. If you are interested go ahead and click this: Goblin aka The Lonely and Great God. Happy binge-watching!